Hairdresser jailed after being caught with Taser-style stun gun hidden in iPhone

Cops acting on a tip-off swooped on 21-year-old man who had weapon disguised as Apple smartphone

A hairdresser was jailed for three years after being caught by police with a Taser-style stun gun disguised as an iPhone.

Officers acting on a tip-off swooped on Marcel Cross, 21, and found the weapon in his home, a court heard.

Matthew Walsh, prosecuting, said police found the stun gun disguised as an Apple mobile phone in the hairdresser’s living room after receiving a call from his worried sister.

He told Recorder Richard Prior that Cross had made a reference to having the Taser and going to her house with it during an argument.

Mr Walsh told Oxford crown court the device was charged when officers discovered it and it emitted an electrical charge, although it had not been checked how strong the charge was.

He said Cross claimed he bought the stun gun from a market for £10 and added: 'I didn’t know it was illegal'.

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Stun gun device belonging to Marcel Cross next to a real Apple iPhone

The prosecutor said possessing the disguised weapon carried a five-year minimum prison sentence, unless there were exceptional circumstances. He also told the court Cross had four previous convictions for seven offences, including one of causing grievous bodily harm.

Claire Fraser, defending, said Cross didn't know it was against the law to have the weapon. She said: “He bought it as a gimmick, something to show friends. It was a laugh and wasn’t meant to be serious.

“Mr Cross deeply regrets purchasing the item and said he never would have done it if he knew it was illegal.’’

Cross pleaded guilty to one count of possessing a banned weapon after it was found at his home in January.

Recorder Prior said although the circumstances were exceptional because Cross had not realised it was illegal and never intended to use it, it was not enough for him to avoid a prison sentence.

Jailing him for three years, the judge told Cross he had a “past pattern of aggressive behaviour’’.

PC Joe Stafford said after the case: "The stun gun had been cleverly disguised as an iPhone 4 mobile phone.

"There can only be one reason for disguising an item like this and that is to allow a person to carry it without detection.

"The seriousness of this was reflected in the sentence passed at court. The sentence should act as a deterrent to others who may consider possessing a similar item."